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Nominees react to Oscar nods

It is 3 a.m. Sydney time but Geoffrey Rush shrugs off the early hour. "I'm doing a play here," the Aussie native tells USA TODAY's Susan Wloszczyna. "By the time I get out of my makeup and wind down it is pretty much my bedtime normally."

Besides, the supporting actor nominee for The King's Speech is over the moon that the movie about stammering King George VI and his speech therapist took the most nominations with 12. "It feels sort of Ben-Hur-ish," he says, referring to the 1959 Charlton Heston epic that received 11 nominations -- a record in its day. "Except our film is about two guys sitting across the room from one another. No chariot race."

Rush, who won a best actor trophy for 1996's Shine, is also thrilled at the reception that The King's Speech is getting around the world, including in the States, where the box office stands at nearly $60 million.

"I had tests from people, friends in the industry in the U.K., New York, Los Angeles. One went to a Tuesday matinee a couple weks ago and people clapped at the end. He said, 'I've never seen a Manhattan audience react that way before.' The film, as they say in the trade, plays. It feels like live theater."

He is especially proud of playing an Australian in the film. Down Under, where it is the hot season, "It opened the 26th of December and has broken all the summer box-office records. There are lines around the block."

Fans will be able to see Rush, who returns to the big screen in Pirates of the Caribbean 4 in May, when he moves his stage production of Diary of a Madman to the Brooklyn Academy in February.

A breathless James Franco spoke to USA TODAY's Susan Wloszczyna while rushing along Chapel Street in New Haven, Conn. The Ph.D candidate at Yale wasn't going to let something like a best-actor Oscar nomination stop him from being in class this morning.

"They wanted me to go to New York this morning," says the actor, who plays trapped hiker Aaron Ralston in the harrowing 127 Hours. "But I told them I wasn't going to miss class."

Reminded that he has to work the night of the ceremony Feb. 27 as co-host with Anne Hathaway, he laughed and said, "Yeah, I have double duty. There are a lot more nominees than there are nominees who hosted the same year."

So what are Franco's plans for the rest of the day? "I'll be going to class and then some homework." What, no celebration? "I'm doing The Daily Show tonight." Maybe Jon Stewart can slip him some bubbly.

The old wake-up-get-nominated-and-man-the-phones routine is becoming old hat for best supporting actor nominee Jeremy Renner. Well, almost. "I tossed and turned all night, actually," he tells USA TODAY's Arienne Thompson. "I didn't sleep for very much. So, I'm still waiting on some coffee and some eggs to feel like I'm awake."

His nomination for the role of volatile bank robber Jim in the Ben Affleck-directed flick The Town marks his second consecutive time as an Oscar contender, following last year's best-actor nomination for The Hurt Locker.

"It's overwhelming. How do you put that into words?," he says of his second go-round. "It's a good feeling. It's electric. What else can I say? It's truly, truly fantastic."

Despite his success, Renner is a bit disappointed that The Town didn't get more recognition from the academy. His nomination is the film's only presence on the nominations list. "I have mixed feelings about that. I wanted to go and celebrate with (Affleck). I was hoping The Town would get in there. I feel like the movie is certainly better than me," he says. "I certainly wanted him to be there. It's because of him I'm where I'm at."

He took his mom as his date to the Oscars last year and says he'll do it again "if she'll have me." Does she ham it up on the red carpet or shy away from the glare? "She's kind of a shy gal, but you get a margarita in her and she has a good time."

How many people can say they found out they were nominated for an Oscar while dropping the kids off at school? The Kids Are All Right's Mark Ruffalo may be in singular company on that one. "I'm pulled over on the side of a country road. I just dropped my kids off at carpool. I got the news and my phone died. I had no idea! I didn't even know," the best supporting actor nominee tells USA TODAY's Arienne Thompson. "Honestly, after the Golden Globes I kind of figured, 'Oh, it was a good shot.' I have my hands full with three kids, so you don't tend to have as much time on your hands to deal with these things."

His turn as a rakish sperm donor who befriends the teenage children of the lesbian couple he helped impregnate earned him the first Oscar nomination of his career, which he thinks is close to perfection. "Being nominated is kind of an award," he says. And even though his children don't fully grasp the nomination, Ruffalo has a simple explanation. "They don't really get it, but I'll just tell them something really special is being given to me."

Unlike the female nominees, he won't have to go on a weeks-long hunt for an Oscar gown, but he does have some planning to do to prepare for the trip from upstate New York, where his family lives, to Los Angeles for the show. "I've got to find a babysitter! I guess I gotta go get this tux dry-cleaned."

Before all that, though, he'll have to celebrate with his wife, "who is just weeping with tears of joy."

"We got a bottle of Veuve Clicquot in the refrigerator that we couldn't drink because we had the stomach flu on New Year's Eve, so we're going to bust that baby out tonight!

The Kids Are All Right director and writer Lisa Cholodenko has had a heck of a year that won't slow down now that she's been nominated for a best original screenplay Oscar. "How many miles are in a marathon? This feels like the last bottle of water that I'm going to get from the sidelines before I get to the finish line," she tells USA TODAY's Arienne Thompson. "There's a real triumphant feeling. This is something I didn't allow myself to think about when we were writing. I didn't want to take my focus away from the task at hand. It's a huge, great honor to be in the mix."

Cholodenko had already texted with best actress nominee (and Golden Globe winner) Annette Bening, who played one half of a lesbian couple whose lives are complicated by the presence of their teenage children's sperm donor (best supporting actor nominee Mark Ruffalo). "We had a virtual hug. I think (Bening's) over the moon. She's just one of those people who can take things in deeply, and I think she's proud and appreciative in the deepest way. There's no cynicism there."

Once she and the rest of the Kids crew come down off the high of awards-season mania, Cholodenko has a simple plan in place. "I want to go somewhere where there's no television and no movie theater and see people and lots of natural stuff and just go be in the quiet, beautiful, natural world and decompress."

"WOWWWWW!" The Fighter's Melissa Leo, calling from Sundance, shrieked to USA TODAY's Maria Puente. "Did I hurt your ear? I feel like a winner, it's just amazing! It's really, really glorious for me, thank you to everyone I ever met!"

Leo said she would love to take the woman she portrayed in The Fighter, Alice Ward, to the Oscars if she's able to go. "She's in fragile condition in a Boston hospital, so a shout-out to Alice, much love and all strengths," she said fervently.

No idea yet on her dress -- "I'll be thinking about that for many days to come."

Leo says there's "no competition" between her and co-star Amy Adams, also nominated in the same category. "I could not have shot The Fighter without Amy," she said. "We had a ball and a blast, I can't wait to see what she's wearing, and yes, Amy, I AM going to wear high heels!"

The attention the film has been receiving, she says, has been overwhelming. "I knew it was a terrific screenplay and I knew the character was going to be fascinating to play, but I had no idea it was going to get this sort of reception."

Asked if it was a challenge to play the role of a very evil grandmother in the film, Weaver says, "I've played villains before, but this woman really does take the cake in terms of the sociopathic evil behavior. Not many grandmothers order the murder of their own grandson. There's a not a lot of me in it," she says with a laugh. "I've got a grandson and a granddaughter."

Weaver will be attending the Oscars but hasn't decided whether to make a trip home to Australia before then. "I'm going to Santa Barbara to receive an award at the Santa Barbara Film Festival in about a week's time. I've been to so many galas in the last couple of weeks. So I'm still trying to decide whether to go home briefly and come back for the Oscars or stay on here. I feel like I should go home and do the washing and pay the bills."

As for what she'll wear to the Oscars, she says "I'm going to ask an Australian designer -- and there are a few who are fabulous -- if they'll design me something and have something specially made."

Colin Firth portrays King George VI in The King's Speech. The film was nominated for best picture and Firth for best actor.

So how is Firth reacting to the news? "Currently celebrating with my colleagues three feet above the ground," he said in a statement. "Not used to this much joy, or this much Champagne at this hour."

"I'm incredulous," Winter's Bone director Debra Granik (center, surrounded by cast) tells USA TODAY's Carol Memmott. "With a small film, nothing's a given. There's no jadedness. I have to say it's a privilege but with a small film you can't expect anything. You can't predict anything. The whole year has felt like a series of minor miracles."

Granik says she and others involved in making the movie made sure it contained a lot of hope in addition to the darker aspects. "Let's make sure that somehow we find a tribe of moviegoers who think the life of an ordinary American is worthy of screen time."

Lee Unkrich, nominated for two Oscars (best animated feature and one of a team of writers for best adapted screenplay), is a longtime Pixar pro, but Toy Story 3 is his first solo directing job and his first personal Oscar nominations.

"I was in bed with my wife, Laura, and our 13-year-old daughter, huddled together watching (the announcement), our hearts pounding in unison," he tells USA TODAY's Maria Puente. "Then we all shared a big hug. It was very, very thrilling."

"Every step of the way has been more than I ever could have dreamed of -- the critical acclaim following by the the amazing run in the theaters. That would have been enough, I could have died a happy man, and now this is just like walking on air today."

He'll be going to the ceremony with Laura, who now "has to get shopping," since it's usually only the women's dresses that attract attention. "No one is looking at the guys," he joked.

He does need to get cracking on a speech. "Some people say if you write a speech it's a jinx, but you gotta be ready. You don't want to stand in front of a billion people and not have anything to say."

"My recommendation for anyone wanting an Oscar nomination is have your movie directed by David Fincher (also nominated for best director)," Aaron Sorkin tells USA TODAY's Maria Puente, only half-joking. It's the writer's first Oscar nomination.

"I was watching [the announcement] on TV -- it's a great way to start the morning," he said happily. "And suddenly the phone started ringing a lot, and it's not really stopped since and I don't mind a bit. It's been such a great year for movies and, because I'm vocationally biased, the year of the screenplay. The old cliché that it's an honor just to be nominated really is true!" Being nominated for an Oscar, he says with some surprise, "really lives up to the hype."

Although the movie has done very well at the box office, he says, there are still some people who haven't seen it, so it's being re-released in 600 theaters soon, and the Oscar campaign will likely help put more people in seats.

"One of the things I'm happy about is that we were able to make the distinction for the moviegoing public that it's not a movie about Facebook and Facebook is irrelevant to whether you'll enjoy it," he says. "I'm not on Facebook, and I wasn't when I wrote it."

Who will he be taking to the Oscar ceremony? "I'll see if I can get a date."

Jennifer Lawrence, nominated for the best actress award for her role as Ree in Winter's Bone, woke up this morning and drove to her parents' house to watch the nomination announcements on TV. "Some of my friends came over, and my brother was there and we just screamed at the TV for a little bit," Lawrence tells USA TODAY's Carol Memmott.

The film has gotten lots of praise since it was released last year, but Lawrence says she was still shocked by its best picture nomination. "It's just surpassed any kind of expectation I had," says Lawrence. "It's the only thing that really brings tears to my eyes. To think that we were working on this tiny movie. It was freezing cold and all of us were sick. And this was a tiny little movie, but we were all there because we believed in it. To see this little movie that was made on a shoestring budget now named one of the best movies of the year, in the world, is just, I still can't really process that."

Lawrence says she's also happy to be nominated for best actress along with other more seasoned, experienced actresses. "They are women I've admired so much and looked up to," she says. "These obviously incredible actresses - and just to be in the same sentence as them - I'm still looking up to them and still a fan of all of them."

She attended the Golden Globes with her parents and will most likely bring them to the Oscars as well. As for what she'll wear, she doesn't know yet.

Randy Newman is an old pro at Oscar nominations, having been nominated 20 times and winning once (for Monsters Inc. in 2002). He's up for best original song, We Belong Together, from Toy Story 3.

"I feel good, I've got a cold but it made me feel a little better," Newman tells USA TODAY's Maria Puente of the nomination. Although he's been nominated so often, "It's never less than a nice thing to have happen to you. I felt great every other time."

He said it's kind of like being on a moon landing. "It's unbelievably odd every time," he says. "It doesn't get old, really, when you have people from all over the world asking you stuff like what suit you're wearing. And I'm still starstruck in my old age (he's 67)."

He says the song was one that came to him easily, on a theme of all the toys in the story sticking together. "On assignment, they can come pretty quickly, because they give you enough information so you can write it. They wanted (to emphasize) everybody staying together."

He says he was grateful to be a part of a film with an outstanding cast and crew. "They are all good people who are good at what they do," he said. "It's one of the best pictures I've ever worked on. They're all solid as a rock."

He's going to the ceremony and admits to being nervous, even though he's done this so many times before. "It's the kind of thing that is fun -- but makes you nervous."

"I am so honored and grateful to the Academy for this recognition," Natalie Portman said in a statement regarding her nomination for her role in Black Swan. "It is a wonderful culmination of the 10-year journey with [director] Darren [Aronofsky] to make this film. Making Black Swan is already the most meaningful experience of my career, and the passion shown for the film has completed the process of communication between artists and audience. I am so thankful for the support we have received and I share this honor with the entire cast and crew of the film, especially Darren Aronofsky."

"I am over the moon. I'm kind of, sort of, overwhelmed with gratitude and happiness this morning," nominee David O. Russell tells USA TODAY's Maria Puente. The nomination, for The Fighter, is his first. Russell (shown right, on set with Mark Wahlberg) is thrilled to be in good company with the other nominees for best director, and hopeful that it will help the film even more at the box office.

"My dog had just woken me up. I had decided to go back to sleep without looking, but my dog must have had a feeling about it," he says. "Then the phone started ringing and I knew that was good. I figured no one would be calling if it was bad news."

After that he was on the phone for hours with people in Lowell, Mass., the setting for the movie's true story about a family of fighters and their effort to win a boxing championship.

"They were just ecstatic. Micky Ward's (the role played by Mark Wahlberg) voicemail is full," he says. "I did speak to his uncle and a nephew. They were just so happy for me and the film, they're going nuts over there. But that's what our film is all about -- regular, hard-working people who have huge hearts."

"I imagine there will be another conversation (about bringing the Wards) about the Oscars," he said. "We love sharing this with our inspiration."

Alice Ward (portrayed by best actress nominee Melissa Leo) has been ill recently. "It's a miracle, Alice is the toughest fighter in the family," he said. "It's about never giving up. That ain't no cliché when it's real."

He also praised Wahlberg, "who never gave up getting the movie made and believing in me as director," and the cast, "who gave phenomenal performances," and the people of Lowell, "we're all standing on their shoulders."

Black Swan director Darren Aronofsky called USA TODAY's Susan Wloszcyna from the car before flying off to Florida with Henry, 4, his son with actress Rachel Weisz.

But Aronofsky managed to find a moment to reflect on his own surprises today -- namely five nominations for his ballet thriller, including best director -- his first -- and best picture.

"I was actually playing Legos with my son -- we were building a jail cell -- when I heard," he said. "My mom was the first to get to me."

He hadn't yet spoken to his star, Natalie Portman, who is up for best actress. "Let's not wake up the pregnant lady," he figured.

It took almost a decade before Aronofsky could get backing for Black Swan to be made. Nobody, apparently, wanted to take a chance on a ballet movie with horror elements. How wrong they were, since the box office will likely hover near the $100 million mark after this weekend. Even he has been amazed how it has found a place in pop culture.

"Someone sent me a picture yesterday of Black Swan and Charlie Chaplin in front Mann's Chinese taking a photo with tourist," he said. "It blew my mind. People are copying Natalie's costume as a side business."

How will he top making a ballet blockbuster? "You know what, I have a few [options]. A lot of people who passed on Black Swan were at the Golden Globes, asking me if there was anything I wanted to do. I told them, 'I'll send you something in a couple weeks that you will probably pass on again.'"

"I am truly honored for this nomination. And deeply thankful to the Academy members for their trust and support," Javier Bardem, best actor nominee for his role in Biutiful, said in a statement. "Also to all of those who showed their support to my work in Biutiful I express my heartfelt gratitude. I am very happy for Alejandro and everyone who has made possible the special movie we made together. It's really a huge honor to have been nominated in a non-English-speaking performance, and in the name of all my colleagues in Spain and mine I want to show my gratitude to the Academy for support and a recognition in this nomination for the movie Biutiful."

I'm very happy, very honored," Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, director of Biutiful, tells USA TODAY's Carol Memmottregarding the film's best foreign film nomination. "Coming from the academy, it's always a great joy."

He hopes the film's nomination, as well as Javier Bardem's best actor nomination, will help the film reach a wider audience in the U.S. "I think it's a great thing," he says. "I hope it will encourage more people to watch foreign films but watch them not as a foreign film but just as a film. American films are foreign films for every other part of the world."

The director thinks that American filmgoers will find Biutiful appealing. "I think the film has a lot of heart. It's an emotional experience. It's a film that offers you a truthful, respectful, emotional journey from a very sympathetic character. Even though he's not a hero as they understand it, he's another kind of hero, an ordinary hero. I hope people respond to that."

Only 14 (she was 13 when True Grit was made), Hailee Stenifeld was wildly excited about her first Oscar nomination for her first film. She's one of a handful of actresses who've been nominated while still in their teens. But at least today's announcement didn't interfere with a high-school routine: She's home-schooled.

"I was in bed asleep (in her Los Angeles home) and I woke up to hear my parents screaming in the other room," she tells USA TODAY's Maria Puente. "They had the TV up really loud. I was in complete shock. I really didn't know what to think. Am I dreaming? It's crazy, it's such a surreal feeling."

How did she snag an Oscar nomination for her very first movie? "I do not know -- I ask myself that question," she says fervently. "It's so crazy to think all that's happened in this past year."

She says she's in "such incredible company" with the other nominees in her category, all adults. "These are people I've looked up to in the few years I've been doing this," she said.

She hopes to take her parents and her brother to the ceremony, but she hasn't thought yet about what she might wear. "I don't know much about (designers) but I'm learning more and more every day," she said, giggling. "But I am bad at making decisions so I hope I have a lot of options."

She watched the original John Wayne version of True Grit and thought it was great. "I was very fortunate, there's a book, a script, a lot of references to go to that were very helpful," she said.

Jeff Bridges, also nominated for True Grit in the best actor category (he won an 2009 Oscar for Crazy Heart), was an inspiration during the three and a half months she spent with him making the movie. "He was incredible, he brings such joy to his work and it's contagious," she said. "I learned a lot from him."

Yes, Helena Bonham Carter was duly honored with a supporting Oscar nomination for role as the Queen Mum in The King's Speech.

And, yes, it is her second time at bat after previously being recognized for her lead in 1997's The Wings of the Dove.

But what we really want to tell her is how fab it was she wore that Jackson-Pollack-crashed-into-the-Black-Swan frock at the Golden Globes. Along with her mismatched shoes.

"Oh, I got your vote," she says, speaking to USA TODAY's Susan Wloszczyna from her London home. Apparently not everyone was as impressed with her Vivienne Westwood ensemble. "Andrew Garfield walked by me on the red carpet and said, 'Oh my God, you look ridiculous ... I mean, ridiculously good.' I told him,'Great. I don't mind.'"

She was with her children -- son Billy, 7, and daughter Nell, 3 -- while watching the nomination announcement. "They saw my name come up and went, 'Yay!'"

Does this nomination feel different than the one 13 years ago? "As grateful as I am, it can be quite intimidating."

Back then, "I was a bit more obedient. I took the fashion thing much more seriously. It was more stressful. Now, I have a sense of proportion as I've gotten older. It is more enjoyable. It is really helpful for a career, a menopausal nomination. I felt sick earlier today but I am much better now."

What will she work on next? "I'm not working on anything. I am very available for hire. What I really want is another good job. Maybe I will wear a dress that says 'For Hire' with my availability dates."

Jeff Bridges had little to say following his nomination for best actor in the film True Grit.

The actor released a short statement: "YEE HAW!"

Director Tom Hooper (center) had a restless night before waking at 5 a.m. in his room at the famed Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles so he could hear that The King's Speech took 12 nominations -- the most for any title this year.

"Actually, it was the easiest time in my life that I ever got up at 5," he tells USA TODAY's Susan Wloszczyna. "It feels like Christmas morning. This is a fantastic place to hear the news. I watched the sun come up over L.A., then talked to my mom and dad and all the actors on the phone."

The London-born Hooper, who is known for his TV work including the John Adams miniseries on HBO, is sincerely gratified for being recognized for directing his second feature (his first: 2009's The Damned United). "I decided to be a film director at 12 years old. It's been a long time."

He is also happy that the film, a drama, is attracting crowds worldwide. "When we were putting the film together, the mood was that the drama as an art form was possibly dead. I heard that phrase: That it was dead."

"The King's Speech is No. 1 in the U.K. now and Darren's film is No. 2," he says, referring to fellow nominee Darren Aronofsky and his Black Swan. "Both of these films were difficult to finance, and to have both in the top 10 is fantastic. What it means is a whole bunch of filmmakers will be able to make dramas."

Hooper is staying in L.A. so he wouldn't have to fly back and forth for the various awards ceremonies. One problem: He has gotten offers since he has been in town, but been too busy to read any scripts. "That is the irony of the awards season," he says. "Every couple evenings, I run into the same producers and I have to say, 'I haven't read it yet.'"

"I am honored to receive this nomination. Making Blue Valentine was unlike any experience I've ever had before, or may ever have again," best actress nominee Michelle Williams said in a statement. "I share this recognition with Ryan and Derek who always brought out the best in me. Thank you to the Academy and to The Weinstein Company for their support of this film."

"It has been such an incredible journey with The Fighter and one that I am grateful to share with David O. Russell, Christian, Melissa, Amy, my fellow producers and the Ward and Eklund families, who are the heart and soul of the film," Mark Wahlberg, producer of best picture nominee The Fighter, said in a statement. "Thank you to the Academy for this tremendous honor."

"I'd like to thank the Academy for recognizing The Fighter with this morning's nominations," Amy Adams, best supporting actress nominee, says in a statement. "Playing Charlene was truly an inspiring experience and I'm so proud and grateful to have been a part of this movie. It's an honor to be nominated in the same category as Melissa, and alongside such incredible actresses."

This is the third Oscar nomination for the actress. "This one is special in that I really played a role that was so different for me and it was nerve-racking and it's just so nice that it's being recognized and being recognized with the film," Adams said, according to the Associated Press.

Danny Boyle (left), the British director who's Slumdog Millionaire from 2008 won eight Oscars including best picture and director, is glad to be back in the mix again with six nominations for 127 Hours.

But he tells USA TODAY's Susan Wloszczyna that he is most thrilled for the recognition bestowed upon his star, best-actor nominee James Franco, who basically gave a one-man performance as a hiker who must take extreme measures to free himself from a deep ravine.

"Once I started working with him, I always thought, 'I only hope James can be nominated for his work. You never know, but he deserves it more than I can say."

He wasn't surprised to hear the actor, a full-time student studying for a doctorate at Yale, went to class early this morning. "He had such a great mind. He has to fill it with other things than just acting. Good on him."

Boyle is no slouch either in the hard-work department. He just took a cab home from London's National Theater, where he has been busy preparing his stage production of Frankenstein, which officially opens at the end of February. Its stars, Benedict Cumberbatch of the recent contemporary redo of Sherlock on TV and Jonny Lee Miller of Transpotting, will switch off playing the doctor and the monster.

Boyle also faces the challenge of staging the opening ceremonies for the 2012 Olympics. Does he have any time to think about his next film? "I'm always thinking about them," he assures.

Industrial rock has found its way to the Oscars thanks to a nomination for Trent Reznor, the influential one-man band behind Nine Inch Nails.

Reznor, along with collaborator Atticus Ross, was recognized for the throbbing score in The Social Network. "Maybe I've found my calling," the musican deadpans to USA TODAY's Susan Wloszczyna about his first film job.

He was given the assignment by director David Fincher. They have known each other for a while. "He used a song of mine over the opening credits for Seven in the '90s. He is on the short list of excellent video directors, and we did one together in 2005."

Still, Reznor was surprised he called. "At the time, I was winding up Nine Inch Nails. I didn't want to be spinning my wheels, so he forced my hand into trying something new. It was a flattering opportunity."

Wasn't it hard to figure out the right music for a movie about the creator of Facebook? "I did wonder how to score a film about guys working at computers and screwing each other," he says. "My strategy was to get inside David's head as best as I could. He knows what he wants and I had to extract that from him and do what was best for the picture. It soon became clear that it was a bit daunting."

Most daunting was figuring out how to make Grieg's In the Hall of the Mountain King sound contemporary for a tense scene about a rowing race. Fincher wanted it to sound like synthesizer music from the '70s. "We were almost finished with the film when he dropped that gem," he says.

But they managed to meet the challenge in three weeks. "Three hair-pulling weeks," he adds. Reznor and Ross must have pleased Fincher, since they are now scoring the director's Americanized version The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.

Composer Hans Zimmer has racked up his ninth Oscar nomination with his score for Inception. Announcement day must be old hat for him.

"No, no," he insists to USA TODAY's Susan Wloszczyna. "It's not like every year this thing happens." Not that it couldn't. Zimmer, who won an Oscar for 1994's The Lion King, is behind the music for eight films coming out in 2011 alone.

The key to his success: "I'm an old pro at picking good movies and working with good directors."

He definitely includes Inception's Chris Nolan -- who failed to get a directing nod despite the film's eight other nominations, including best picture -- in that category. "I am stunned they passed him by," says Zimmer, who also teamed with Nolan on both his Batman films. "Never did I realize the huge difference it makes when the writer is also the director."

He pays the filmmaker the ultimate compliment. "I never watch the movies I've done, But I did watch Inception. This one was special."